These larvae are brown, sometimes pale in the middle and darker on the ends, and may look banded. The larval stage lasts 8 to 24 days and the pupal stage 1 to 2 days.
Adults may live as long as 2 weeks. Drain fly larvae and pupae live in the thin microbial films often found in drains, underground septic tank field lines, and on filter stones in wastewater treatment plants.
Drain flies feed on algae, bacteria, fungi, and other microscopic organisms associated with the film. Indoors, drain flies can breed in floor or sink drains, air conditioner and refrigerator condensate pans, bottoms of garbage cans, under broken or cracked tile, in tracks of sliding glass doors, in wet cracks in the floor, or around dirty floor drains.
They are mosquito like, with long slender legs and bead-like antennae—though much smaller than mosquitoes. They are white, legless and slender, and have shiny black head capsules. These larvae feed on the roots of plants or on fungi growing in potting soil.
They are most likely to emerge from the potting media of houseplants, although some types may also feed on microbial films in drains, similar to drain flies. In some cases, infestations of potted plants occur when one uses soil from a batch that was infested from storage or from the manufacturer. Infestations from potted plants can be eliminated by moving the pots outdoors. These infestations are most common during the winter months, when over- watering is more common.
When plants cannot be removed, you can suppress an infestation by watering less frequently so that potting soil has a chance to dry out. However, once fungus gnats become a problem, just reducing moisture may not provide satisfactory control. In such cases, the pot and soil should be treated with an insecticide or replaced. Indoor insecticide sprays or fogs may provide temporary relief from fungus gnat infestations, but they will not solve the problem.
The only way to get rid of fungus gnats is to find and eliminate the breeding sites. These larger flies are found principally outdoors, but can also become indoor pests. House flies rarely breed indoors, but may enter through open windows or doors. The soldier fly and the carrion breeding flies may breed indoors when an animal dies inside or under a structure.
Good pest proofing will generally prevent these larger flies from becoming an indoor problem. House flies Family Muscidae are outdoor flies that do not bite. They are generally not an important indoor pest unless doors or windows are poorly screened or frequently left open.
House flies breed in decaying organic matter such as livestock feces and garbage. They are active on warm days year around but reproduce most quickly in the summer. Adult house flies live for up to three weeks. House flies are not only a nuisance; they are thought to carry more than diseases. Because house flies continuously deposit feces and regurgitate on surfaces, health departments consider their presence in restaurants or other food service businesses to be unsanitary.
When house flies become a problem outside of a structure, look for nearby breeding sites including livestock or compost operations, improperly functioning latrines, and poorly maintained dumpsters or garbage cans.
Household compost piles that are not properly managed may also become a source of house fly breeding. Fly swatters are an effective control measure for the occasional household fly, though commercial restaurants and other sensitive commercial sites usually use insect light traps. In addition, automatic air cur tains in doorways can help reduce fly infiltration at entryways to commercial facilities. Soldier flies Family Stratiomyidae are outdoor flies that occasionally enter homes and buildings.
Indoors, these flies are most commonly seen as full- grown larvae that have completed feeding and are searching for a place to develop pupate into an adult. During this wandering phase, soldier fly larvae may travel several yards from their breeding site, and may be seen wriggling along a floor, patio, or fireplace hearth.
Soldier fly larvae are about 1 inch long, leg- less, grey to dark brown, and flattened. Though not harmful, most people would consider the presence of these tough-skinned larvae indoors to be objectionable. Control involves finding and eliminating the food source. Breeding sites include rotting organic matter, such as spoiled grain, dead birds or other animals in an attic or chimney, or a decaying bee nest in a wall.
Indoor worm compost bins have been known to harbor soldier flies. Adult flies are sluggish until induced to fly, and are rarely noticed. They may be attracted to light but do not seem attracted to food. Carrion flies include flesh flies Family Sarcophagidae and blow flies Family Calliphoridae. Immature stages of blow flies feed on decaying organic material—especially dead animals but also garbage, manure, or other rotting plant material.
Blow fly larvae are creamy white and legless. Sometimes referred to as maggots, blow and flesh fly larvae are cylindrical and taper to a pointed head. The presence of these larvae in a home usually indicates that a bird, squirrel, rat, etc. Maggots in homes are usually those that have completed feeding and are searching for a place complete their metamorphosis. Left undisturbed, they will pupate in a crack or other protected spot and emerge as an adult fly.
The tip of the abdomen is red or pink in some species. Adult blow and flesh flies are usually seen 1 to 2 weeks after maggots appear in a home. Flies may continue to emerge for 1 to 3 weeks, after which they should disappear. Ideally, you should remove any dead animal carcasses, though these are sometimes difficult to find or are out of reach. In most cases destroying any maggots and killing adult flies with a fly swatter is the only practical response to such fly infestations.
We will visit your premises and perform an inspection to identify the scope of the infestation. We will then create a solution that is tailored to your specific issue.
This solution will involve the eradication of the pests, along with any nests, and we will put measures in place to prevent the infestation from recurring. If you need pest control services in Colchester, Chelmsford, Brentwood and the surrounding Essex areas, give our team a call today. See if we cover your area ». Great news, we cover in your area, please give us a call on:.
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Speak to a specialist on for guidance. Types of Flies in the UK There are a whopping , different species of flies in the world — and those are just the ones we know about! Bluebottle Fly What do they look like?
Where are they found? What attracts them to the home? How to prevent and get rid of them? Autumn Fly Musca autumnalis What do they look like? Cluster fly What do they look like? Fruit fly What do they look like? Housefly What do they look like? What are they attracted by? What repels flies? How do you get rid of flies naturally? What are flies attracted to? Do house flies bite? Are flies dangerous? How do flies get into the house? How do flies reproduce? How do flies breed?
Why are flies in my house? How long do flies live? What do house flies eat? How many wings does a fly have? How many legs do flies have? Flies have 6 legs, which are all connected to the thorax. Where do flies go at night? How fast do flies fly? What do fly eggs look like? See if we cover your area » Please enter your location or postcode below: Great news, we cover in your area, please give us a call on:.
Business as usual! COVID update Please see our Covid update here , or find out more about our deep cleaning and remote advice services Speak to a specialist on for guidance. Certain formulations of the biological control bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis var. More information on fungus gnats and their control is found in Fact Sheet 5. Moth flies and humpbacked flies that are breeding within plumbing can be controlled by eliminating the bacterial gel coat or lodged food waste that supports these types of flies.
This may be done by thoroughly scraping the pipes and drains with a brush. Drain cleaners formulated to remove these materials can also be used to clear plumbing. Cleaners that are effective for this purpose often include enzymes and are formulated as a foam that can allow persistent contact to allow them time to effectively break down and eliminate the food sources that coat the plumbing. Pour down drain cleaners, such as lye, and hot water do not do a good job of eliminating this material and kill few, if any, of the flies developing in plumbing.
If this occurs then these moisture sources must be corrected and the area allowed to dry out. Screening and other exclusion techniques can be important steps to take to limit several types of indoor fly problems, particularly with flies that develop outdoors and use homes for temporary shelter. Tight fitting screens can prevent indoor access by many flies. However, cracks and crevices around windows, under soffits, and around ventilation openings are common sites that allow flies to work their way behind walls and later enter living areas.
These openings must be sealed before flies enter buildings. For example, cluster flies rarely are found indoors until late winter and spring but typically enter buildings during late August and September. Exclusion can also involve methods that prevent flies from accessing foods. Sealing garbage cans, tightly covering foods and beverages, or storing susceptible foods in a refrigerator can be useful for limiting flies that breed in these materials.
Traps are available that can capture some, but not all, of the kinds of flies that can be found in homes. Used alone, no kind of fly trap will provide satisfactory control. Perhaps most widely used are traps to capture small fruit flies, as these traps can be easily and cheaply made. When such baits are placed in the bottom of a jar with a paper cone over the top large numbers of small fruit flies can be trapped for disposal. Commercial traps based on the same principles are also available from many hardware stores and some nurseries.
Various lures are used to attract the flies and the type of lure used is critical for how well they capture flies. Some flies are attracted to lights, such as moth flies, humpbacked flies and house flies.
Lights that produce wave lengths most attractive to these insects can be used to capture flies on a sticky surface or to electrocute them. Because of this bug zapper traps should never be used near areas where food is prepared or consumed.
This type of trap is effective for house flies because of their habit of moving to vertical surfaces to rest. Fly paper strips usually catch few of the other kinds of flies that can occur indoors. Some chemicals have been shown to have some repellency to flies.
As with the chemicals used for as attractants the effect of various repellents varies greatly depending on the species of fly. Colorado State University, U. Department of Agriculture, and Colorado counties cooperating. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. No endorsement of products mentioned is intended nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned. We have 6 regions. Learn more about us or about our partners. Colorado State University Extension. Online Directory.
Providing trusted, practical education to help you solve problems, develop skills and build a better future. Established Flies in the Home — 5. Search the Site. Employment Volunteer. Figure 1: Life stages of the house fly. Photo courtesy Clemson University. Figure 2: Black blow fly. Figure 3: Bluebottle fly. Figure 4: Cluster fly. Figure 5: House flies feeding on a ripe melon.
Figure 6: Little house fly. Figure 7: Ceroxys latiusculus , a picturewinged fly that commonly enters buildings in autumn. Figure 8: Fungus gnat on a soil surface. Figure 9: Fungus gnat on a sticky card.
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